January 28, 2009

My vacation is now over, but it was an amazing vacation. Lindon and I got to rest and recharge our batteries with some very special friends. I could write a novel about all the reasons that our vacation was special, but I don't want to do that. Instead I will jot some of the highlights below in no particular order. Later I will post photos.

Why my vacation was special:

- Lindon and I got our first vacation since our honeymoon. We've been away before, but it was always to visit friends of family. This was the first time in over 4 years that just the two of us spent several nights away at a fun destination and spent time with each other.

- We got to see lots of good friends during our few days in Alabama. Lindon scheduled a few meetings while he was in town, but most of them were canceled. So we spent an afternoon visiting people we hadn't planned on visiting.

- I got to hear Nan Johnson tell a story. If you don't know Nan, imagine a cleaned-up version of Joy from "My Name is Earl." It was hilarious.

- We made a surprise visit to our friends Hal and Jessica who just had a baby. Jessica's reaction when she opened the door was priceless. Seeing them and their new son was such a blessing.

- One evening we had dinner with our former small group. We have been away from Alabama for over two years, but when we are with those people we feel as though we've never left.

- Being in Florida again revived my soul. After living away from Florida for years I had forgotten what an amazing place it is, but not for the reasons you might think. I love the beach as much as anyone, but what I really love about Florida is the swamp, the pines, and the cypress trees. Real Florida begins where the beaches end - in the rugged, sometimes ugly, landscapes that make up much of the inland. To me, this is Florida. The swamp waters run through my blood.

- The day before we planned to leave Alabama for Florida we had some major car trouble. It became clear we would not be able to take our car to Florida, and we were not sure what we were going to do. That's when our friends Hal and Jessica said, "Take our car!" Their Volvo was a much more comfortable ride than our 18-year-old Honda. We are forever grateful for their generosity.

- Watching a sunset on the water.

- Believe it or not, it can actually get quite cold at the beach. But when that happens, it's nice to have a Banana Republic Outlet to peruse for clearance sales.

- Lingering around the table with Bill and Marcie Cornwell.

- Seeing out little nephew Coyle again. He's growing so fast. It was fun to see Lonnie and Sara again, too. I wished we lived closer to family.

- Watching the Steelers make it to the Super Bowl!!

- When Lindon picked up our car from the mechanic and handed him a credit card, the mechanic said, "Don't worry about it. I know you're in seminary, so consider this mission work." Lindon said, "How did you know I am in seminary?" The mechanic said, "Someone made a phone call. Don't worry about it." And that was it. We continue to marvel at God's goodness.

- Feeling the sand between my toes and putting my feel in the Gulf of Mexico.

January 12, 2009

I alternate between feelings of extreme giddiness and extreme panic at all that needs to be accomplished.

I obsessively check the weather reports.

I have roughly seven loads of clean laundry to fold.

What is wrong with me? Vacation is coming.

That's right, next week Lindon and I are going on a real vacation. The kind where you go away by yourselves, stay at a hotel, and spend time doing whatever you want to do. This will be our first vacation since our honeymoon over four years ago.

Needless to say, I am overjoyed. In true Fowler form, we are spending a few days with friends in Montgomery, Alabama, and we are very much looking forward to seeing them. That's an extra special bonus.

Now more than ever before Lindon and I need to get away and have some time to ourselves. After the difficult semester Lindon just completed and the whirlwind of the holidays, we need some rest. And where better to rest than on the Gulf Coast?

Our adventure begins Friday when we travel to Nashville. We will then spend the weekend and first part of next week in Montgomery. Then...the beach. We are so excited to get away and spend time together. We hope it will be a time to rest, think, build sandcastles, and try out our new camera.

On top of all the things I need to do before I go, I simply must get some good books for beach reading. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

January 5, 2009

The holidays have come and gone, and this Fearless Fowler is spent! So much has kept me busy in the past month, and updating the blog kept getting pushed further and further down on the priority list. I promise to post more frequently in the new year than I did in the end of the old one. But here are some quick thoughts about what has been happening:

- Lindon finished his semester in the middle on December! This was his hardest semester to date by far, and we were thrilled to see the end of it. Whenever Lindon finishes his finals, his personality comes back. It's really nice for his wife.

- My birthday was in mid December, right after Lindon finished finals. I had a good birthday, even though I had to spend an hour at a school board meeting (and really should have spent more). I mentioned to my co-workers that it was my birthday, and I got to leave work early. Another perk of working with the greatest attorneys ever.

- Right before Christmas I was violently ill with the stomach flu. All I will say is it was very, very bad.

- For Christmas we traveled back to Pennsylvania to spend a few days with my family and a few days with Lindon's. Getting there was an adventure that involved 3 hours of crawling on I-70 in Indiana. But once we got there, our time with family was very special. We had a wonderful time with everyone, but it was nice to be home again. Also, our camera battery died while we were home, and we haven't found replacement batteries yet. So my holiday photo collection is thinner than usual.

About Me

I am a storyteller. I tell others' stories as a freelance writer, but this blog is the place for me to tell my story. Make that my family's story. It's usually a little untidy, and it probably has teeny finger print smudges on it, but that's ok. These are reflections on the big and small events that ultimately shape who I am. I live in Pennsylvania with my wonderful husband, our faithful dog, and two kiddos.